CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns’ Week 1 opponent finally has its star player back after years of contract drama.
Monday, the Bengals and Hendrickson ended their lengthy contract standoff by agreeing to a revised deal to return to the team. The deal according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter is for one year and worth $30 million, and it will still make him an unrestricted free agent after the season.
The 30-year-old Hendrickson is coming off back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons for the Bengals, winning the NFL sack title in 2024. He also comes into the Week 1 matchup on Sept. 7 with six sacks vs. the Browns in seven career matchups.
He told ESPN’s Laura Rutledge prior to Cincinnati’s second preseason game vs. the Commanders earlier in August that the only thing he and the team had yet to agree on was guaranteed money.
Hendrickson’s deal is also the third big contract the Bengals have done this offseason. They signed Ja’Marr Chase to a four-year deal worth $160 million and Tee Higgins to his own four-year deal worth $115 million in March.
The agreement ends a lengthy negotiation between the two sides that included Hendrickson requesting a trade on two separate occasions. The team also had reportedly been listening to trade offers for Hendrickson before they ultimately came to an agreement on a new deal.
Hendrickson is also the latest star pass rusher to agree to a new contract extension since the end of last season. The Raiders gave Maxx Crosby a three-year extension worth $106.5 million, including $92.5 million guaranteed.
Two of Cincinnati’s AFC North rivals also got extensions done with their star edge rushers. The Browns and Myles Garrett agreed to a four-year deal in March worth $160 million, including $123.5 million fully guaranteed. In July, the Steelers made T.J. Watt the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL with a three-year deal for $123 million, $108 million of which is fully guaranteed.
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